All the Difference
by ANGSWIN
Summary: When Hermione saves Sirius's life during the battle at the Department of Mysteries, everything changes for both of them...and Harry! Written for the 2017 HP Canon Fix Fest
1. The Department of Mysteries

This story was written in response to an anonymous prompt in the 2017 HP Canon Fix Fest:

 _Hermione saves Sirius before being cursed in the Department of Mysteries. He takes her on in a big brother type way when her parents make her choose between magic or them._

* * *

 **All the Difference**

Hermione could only think about Harry. He had been so frantic at the thought of losing Sirius that he couldn't even bear to wait for confirmation that his godfather was actually in danger – nor could he wait for the assistance of some of the older Order members. Therefore, she was afraid that he would do something rash and dangerous. That was why she had agreed to go with him on this ill-advised rescue mission. It was why they had ended up in the Department of Mysteries, fighting for their lives.

Hermione couldn't see Harry through the chaos, but she did see Sirius. He was off to the side and dueling with both Bellatrix and Dolohov. Even though he seemed to be almost enjoying himself, as his occasional shouts of laughter could attest, she could see that he couldn't hold out against both of them forever. Therefore, as soon as she saw Dolohov getting ready to throw a curse at Sirius while he was distracted by his evil cousin, she made a snap decision. She just couldn't let Harry lose Sirius when he had already lost everything else. He deserved to keep the one connection to his parents that he still had – his godfather. Sirius had lost so much, too, his best friends, his adopted family, and the twelve years of his life that had been stolen from him while he had been falsely imprisoned in Azkaban. He deserved better than that, too. She suddenly realized that she had much less to lose than either of them – especially now! Therefore, with the fleeting hope that they would both understand why she was doing this, she jumped between Sirius and Dolohov - just as the latter started to verbalize his curse. She was then hit with the purple slashing curse from Dolohov's wand at the very same moment that the red stunning spell from Bellatrix's wand slammed into her, as well. Her body then crashed into Sirius's, knocking them both onto the floor – right in front of the mysterious Veil.

"Hermione!" Sirius's anguished howl, sounding very similar to that of Padfoot's, alerted the other Order members. Remus arrived immediately on the spot after hearing the distressed voice of his best friend and saw Sirius frantically trying to hold Hermione's torn flesh together while red slowly pooled underneath her stunned body. He also saw both Dolohov and Bellatrix approaching the pair on the floor with their wands drawn. Therefore, Remus frantically fired a blasting spell at Dolohov. The force of the spell knocked the Death Eater into Bellatrix and, in the blink of an eye, both of them tumbled past Sirius and Hermione and slipped through the Veil together. Remus checked to make sure that they were really gone and then turned his attention back to both his best friend and his former pupil. By this time, they were both covered in blood, so he acted instantly by taking them to the one medical professional that he knew he could trust to keep Sirius's secret – Madame Pomfrey.

* * *

Hermione was very surprised to wake up in the hospital wing of Hogwarts the next morning. However, she was even more surprised to see an unkempt and sleep deprived Sirius sitting at her bedside – holding her hand.

 _Good!_ was her first thought. _It must have worked, then!_ "But what happened?" She didn't realize that she had said that last part aloud until Sirius's eyes widened and he whipped his head around in order to look directly into her eyes.

"What happened?" he repeated unbelievingly. "Oh, my brave little lioness. You saved this cur's unworthy hide – again! That's what happened!"

"Harry?" she asked, a bit desperately.

"He's fine, Little One, and so is everyone else. There were only minor injuries on our side – except for your impressive ones, of course. You certainly don't do things by halves, do you?" His grip on her hand tightened as he tried to reassure her with a joking manner, but his voice cracked at the end and gave him away.

"I couldn't let you and Harry lose each other – not again," she croaked out in explanation, her voice rough with both emotion and discomfort.

"And I will never ever be able to repay you for that, Kitten," he replied in an equally emotional voice, "but rest assured that I will never stop trying! Let's get you sorted out first, though." He then reached for the carafe of water next to her bed and poured her a glass. He then helped her to drink it while calling for Madame Pomfrey to let her know that her patient was awake and in pain.

* * *

The next time Hermione awoke, both Sirius and Harry were at her bedside. As soon as Harry saw her open her eyes with a painful grimace, he jumped up and grabbed both of her hands to hold them tightly in his. "Oh, Hermione!" he practically wailed. He then continued, obviously distraught. "I am so so _so_ sorry! This is all my fault. You tried to tell me…I shouldn't have believed them…I shouldn't have listened…You saved Sirius…and now you are…He told me you did it for us….I just don't deserve a friend like you, Mione." His worried babbling tapered off brokenly as she shook her head at him.

"That's just not true, Harry." She spoke quietly since she was in pain, but firmly since she didn't want him to know. However, she never took her eyes off of him. "You're my best friend and I love you." Sirius picked up his head at these words and looked at the two young people intently. Hermione didn't notice and continued to speak, "Of course, I would do anything I could for you."

"I love you, too, Hermione." Harry said sincerely, almost completely overcome with the affection and gratitude that he felt for his amazing friend – as well as the guilt that ate away at him as he looked at her pale form on the bed. "You have _always_ been there for me and I promise that I will be a better friend to you from now on…" his voice then broke again and he found that he couldn't speak anymore, so he bent down to kiss her cheek instead. "I promise that I will make this up to you," he whispered. "I need to go now, though. Madame Pomfrey threatened to throw me out on my ear if I bothered you for more than just a minute." He then looked over at his godfather who had been watching them both with interest because of the new and pleasing ideas that were just starting to form in his head. "Sirius, will you stay with her, please?" he asked and would only consent to leave after he was granted the word of the animagus.

"I'll watch out for her as long as I can, Pup! I promise!" Sirius declared and then with one more backwards look at his dear friend on the bed, Harry was gone.

Hermione let out the jagged breath that she had been holding and Sirius was up like a flash!

"Why didn't you tell me that you were hurting, Little Lioness?" he asked gently, while getting her some water and calling for Madame Pomfrey.

"I didn't want to worry Harry," she said honestly. "He has enough on his mind right now. I am just so glad that nobody else got seriously hurt. He doesn't need that on his conscious."

Sirius looked at her gratefully. "You're such a good person, Hermione. I'm so glad that he has someone who cares about him that much. You remind me so much of Lily, you know."

"Harry's mom?" she asked, as Madame Pomfrey slipped in through the privacy curtain, carrying a tray loaded with potions, and shooed Sirius away.

He paused on his way out and nodded. "She was a Muggleborn, too, you know – but was the smartest of our group. She took care of all of us, as well, even though we drove her crazy! She never gave up on us, though…any of us. She was always there when we needed her – until the very end….and she certainly would have liked you!" With those words, he slipped on out through the curtain.

* * *

Madame Pomfrey then bustled around Hermione handing her potion after potion to take. "He's right, you know. You do remind me quite a bit of Miss Evans. Just like you with Misters Potter and Weasley, she would be here every time one of the scamps in that lot was being treated after getting into some kind of trouble - which was quite often, as you can imagine – even if you ignore Mr. Lupin's monthly visits." She then checked the wound covering Hermione's abdomen before reapplying a potent smelling salve on it. "Hmmm…the potions and salves seem to be working and the flesh and muscle are knitting back together nicely. Even though it seems hard to believe, you should be thankful that you were also hit with a stunner. It slowed down the slashing curse and blood loss and gave you a chance to make it back here in time." She stood up and pulled Hermione's gown back down. "However, you will probably be quite sore for a few more days and will have to take it very easy. You are also going to have quite the scar, Miss Granger. Unfortunately, you won't be able to magically remove it or even glamour it since it was caused by a curse. You should be proud of it, though. Mr. Black told me what you did…and why. You were willing to sacrifice everything for a friend. Just don't do it again! Do you understand me, child?" This was said firmly, but with a fond smile that Hermione just had to return.

"Yes, Madame Pomfrey, and thank you for everything! I know that we have all been in here quite a bit over the years, but you've always been so very good to us." The matron just made a noncommittal noise on her way out, but Hermione saw a small pleased smile on her face, as well, and was comforted by it.


	2. Parental Problems

Just then Sirius slid back in through the curtains with a tray. "How about some food? Harry's little elf friend, Dobby, just brought this up for us. I bet you don't even remember the last time that you ate." Hermione realized with some surprise that it was true and eagerly agreed to share with him. She found that she wasn't able to eat much, but she did happily nibble on a few of her favorite tidbits. As they ate, Sirius looked her over carefully. "You gave me a helluva scare, Kitten, but I am so glad to see that you are looking better. I know I promised the Pup that I wouldn't leave you alone, but I don't know if I will be able to stay much longer. We have been lucky so far. Ron, Neville, and the Lovegood girl were here last night for a short time – just to get patched up and checked out, but the infirmary has been empty since. It's only a matter of time, though, before someone gets cursed green with yellow polka dots and/or splashed with a potion that turns them into a newt or something and they end up in here. I shouldn't be here if that happens. I'm still a wanted man, remember? The Pup gave me his invisibility cloak for emergencies, while I am in here with you, but I'd rather not have to use it." Here his tone turned wistful and sad, and Hermione looked up sharply as she realized that he was remembering the times that he spent with Harry's dad underneath it.

Hermione had an idea. "I'll understand if you have to leave, Sirius. I will be okay on my own, though, since Madame Pomfrey said that I am healing well. However, even if _you_ can't keep me company, I wouldn't mind if _Snuffles_ came to visit. _He_ is used to sneaking around Hogwarts, after all! We can even ask Harry for the Map in order to give us enough warning if someone is coming."

Sirius looked up with a gorgeous grin on his face at that and Hermione smiled a little herself as she caught a glimpse of the younger, more carefree man that he probably used to be before his time in Azkaban. She realized then that she had actually become quite fond of the man for his own sake - and not just because he was Harry's godfather! She knew then that she had definitely done the right thing in the DoM, and that her present discomfort was really just a small price to pay for giving him another chance at life!

After smiling fondly at the little witch for a moment, Sirius said, "That's a brilliant idea, Miss Granger! I can easily see why Moony calls you the brightest witch of your age! Your parents must be so proud!" He then watched with concern as the smile quickly slid from her face and her eyes filled with tears. He quickly reached out to grab her hands. "What's the matter, Little One?" he asked gently. "Did something happen with your parents?"

Hermione closed her eyes tightly and tried to compose herself, but the tears started to leak out, anyway. Therefore, she spoke softly and carefully as she tried to control them. "I haven't told anyone this yet, Sirius - not even Harry, since he has had his own troubles to deal with all year. However…my parents…just don't understand…about my life here. At first they were supportive, but the fact that I can't share this huge part of my life with them has really worn down our relationship over the years. At first, I wrote home and told them about everything that went on here. However, after the mess with Quirrell and the Sorcerer's Stone first year, then being petrified by the Basilisk second year, attacked by dementors and a werewolf third year….well, you can see where this is going. The more they learned, the worse it got and they started talking about pulling me out of Hogwarts and putting me back into Muggle school. Therefore, I decided just to keep them in the dark about most of what happened here last year. Even though I told them about my…friendship…with Viktor, I didn't mention much about the tournament itself. However, when they found out about Cedric's death accidently from Mr. Weasley, they decided to pull me out of Hogwarts…permanently. We had a huge fight and they refused to pay for my tuition this year. No matter how much I explained, they just didn't understand that magic is in the very core of my being and that I just can't give it up and go back to how I used to be. I honestly think that it would kill me. Plus, there is no way that I could leave Harry to face everything alone. Therefore, I…left." Here she paused as a sob tried to escape. Sirius held her hands tightly – afraid that he knew where this story was headed.

In a moment, he found out that he was right. After Hermione had fought back the sob, she carefully schooled her expression, squared her shoulders, and continued her story. "I caught the Knight bus and went to Diagon Alley. I went to Gringotts first where I found out that, fortunately, I had just enough savings in my personal vault to take care of my tuition and supplies for this year. Then I met up with the Weasleys and went to Grimmauld Place with them. Thank you so much again for letting me spend most of the summer and Christmas with all of you there, by the way. I'm not sure where I would have gone otherwise - especially since I don't have any money left. I definitely have to have a better plan in place for this summer, though, and I need to do it soon since we only have a few days left. I was planning to ask some of the professors for advice, but I couldn't because of that…woman's…decrees." Here she paused to sigh heavily again. "Anyway, despite what happened between us, I didn't want my parents to worry about me. Therefore, I sent them a few letters at the beginning of the year, before the mail started to be intercepted, just to let them know that I was alright. I only had very angry responses in return, though, where they demanded that I return home immediately - so I just stopped writing to them. I believe that the only reason they haven't forced me to come back, yet, is that they just can't find me in the magical world on their own. Therefore, I think that I'm safe for a few more days - until the end of term – where I bet that they will try to catch me at King's Cross. I will avoid them, of course. I am a good enough witch to do that. I'm just not sure what I will do then." She paused to blink back a few tears, "I have thought about it a lot and I guess that I will go to Diagon Alley as soon as I get off of the train, and try to find a job there somewhere. I think that I will be alright if I can make enough galleons to at least pay for tuition next year. Then, I was going to ask if the twins would lend me one set of their books from this year, since I am sure that the other set will go to Ron. If not, then I am sure the boys will share with me – especially since I help them with their homework so much anyways. Also, I think that I can get by for another year with my old robes. After all, I was able to charm them enough this year so that nobody noticed. At any rate, I do come of age in September and at least my parents won't have any power over me after that. I guess that I will just have to stay out of their way for the next few months and hope that I can come up with a better plan during the next school year."

With these words, her carefully constructed control vanished and she started crying in earnest. Sirius immediately gathered her up in his arms and just held her. After all, he certainly knew all about parental problems and he couldn't even guess what would have happened to him if the Potters hadn't taken him in as one of their own once he left home for good. Therefore, he just cast a silencing charm around her bed and held her as she cried. She had obviously been holding this in and trying to deal with everything on her own for way too long. However, she wasn't alone any longer. She had Sirius Black on her side now and he would be damned if he let this brilliant little witch, who had saved his life _twice,_ be taken away from the magical world or left to fend for herself in it! Therefore, he sat with her and silently comforted her - until she fell asleep in his arms.

As he looked down at the physically and emotionally exhausted girl, he felt a surge of affection and protectiveness that surprised him with its ferocity. It wasn't romantic or sexual in nature, though – not at all. _That_ certainly wouldn't have been appropriate with his godson's best friend. However, at that moment, he thought of Lily again – and how he felt about her - his best friend's wife and the sister of his own heart. _Sister_ , he thought, looking down at Hermione again with some amazement about how right the word felt for her, too - _Little Sister._ A more definite plan started to form in his head then as he made her comfortable first and then shifted into his dog form to lay across the foot of her bed. Unfortunately, he was a bit too big for it and parts of him hung off of the edge. However, despite his discomfort and his concerns about being discovered, he was determined not to leave Hermione by herself tonight – especially since she was already feeling so very alone and vulnerable.

He shifted around uncomfortably until he suddenly realized that he was laying full length next to the girl. She sighed, slid over sleepily to make more room for him, and then buried her hands into his thick fur and held on to him tightly. His canine presence seemed to bring her some comfort, since she immediately fell into a deeper sleep. Therefore, he hoped that Madame Pomfrey would be less concerned about a dog in the girl's bed than about a grown man being there – even though she knew the true identity of the big black dog. After all, she had been one of the few staff members at Hogwarts who knew that Moony had company during his monthly transformations back when he was a student. This was especially true since one or more of the Marauders also usually had to be treated the next morning when they brought their werewolf friend back to the hospital wing from the Shrieking Shack. The healer had never said a word, though. She just continued to treat them all the same way that she always had - with an equal mixture of affection and exasperation!

Sirius had been so wrapped up in Hermione's story, however, that his normally keen canine senses weren't aware that the matron in question had been right outside the curtain all along. He didn't know that she had heard the entire conversation that he and Hermione had shared - or that she was already on her way to share the news of the poor girl's predicament with McGonagall. At any rate, he laid there thinking about how grateful he was that, as an animagus, he retained his human consciousness while in animal form. That way he could continue to make plans in his head about how to deal with this unexpected...but not entirely unwelcome (for him, at least)…situation. In fact, for the first time in a long while, he was feeling hopeful about his future again. He didn't need to be alone ever again and neither did this amazing little witch!


	3. That Big Brother Quality

Thanks to all of the potions, Hermione slept for most of that day, as well. She woke up only long enough to eat a little soup that the matron had brought to her and to go to the bathroom with the older woman's help – only to be overcome with weak and shaky limbs on her way back to bed. When she asked nervously where Sirius was, she was reassured that he just went to have a little chat with Professor McGonagall in her office. Madame Pomfrey also addressed her concern that he could have been seen by letting her know that since Umbridge was now gone, all of the floos were working again. Therefore, Sirius had used the fireplace in the infirmary to pop over there. Hermione was also pleased to hear that he had only agreed to meet with the Professor if Madame Pomfrey promised to stay with her patient.

"He wanted to make sure that you knew that you were not alone, Pet." The kindly healer said to the young lady, who was gratified by the thoughtfulness of them both. "Now, go to sleep," the matron continued, "and I think that you will be ready to see your friends in the morning."

* * *

The next morning the young lady was happy to realize that she could get to the loo and back on her own as long as she held on the footboard of each bed in the infirmary as she passed it. She smiled at Sirius in the adjacent bed as she crawled back into hers. He had returned at some point during her slumber and had taken Madame Pomfrey up on the offer of the using the bed next to hers. Apparently, she had come upon Hermione snuggled up with the big black dog when she came to deliver McGonagall's offer to meet with Sirius. (This was after she heard about Hermione's family troubles, but the young witch didn't know that.) The matron's heart had smiled at the peaceful sight. However, she realized that it wasn't really an appropriate situation – even though she knew that Mr. Black's motives were pure – in this instance, anyway. Since the infirmary had been all but empty since exams (none of the students wanted to spend the last few days of term stuck in bed instead of hanging out with their mates), she felt justified in expanding Hermione's private curtained area to include a bed for Sirius, as well. She didn't want the girl to feel alone – especially after all she had been through this past year.

While Hermione slept, Sirius had spent an enlightening meeting with McGonagall in her office. Dumbledore had even stopped by briefly, even though he was extremely busy trying to restore some order at the school by controlling the chaos and soothing the frazzled nerves that Umbridge's actions had left behind. The Headmaster was also _not_ pleased that Sirius was at Hogwarts instead of at Grimmauld Place. However, when he heard the entire story of what happened at the DoM, and the issues that Miss Granger was having with her family, he reluctantly gave his blessing for the man to stay until the young lady was healed – provided that he used every means at his, and young Mr. Potter's, disposal to stay well-hidden. After all, the old man knew all about the obligations of a life debt and he also knew that Hermione had to remain in the wizarding world - no matter what. He had already spoken to Harry about the prophecy and he knew that the young man would need his brilliant and determined witch friend to help him through the troubled times ahead. Therefore, among the three adults, they decided upon a course of action to help Hermione that pleased Sirius very much.

Sirius soon awakened and smiled at the little witch next to him as he remembered the outcome of that meeting. He resolved to speak to her about it soon. However, he just felt that he needed to speak to the Pup first, since it involved him, and his future, as well. He had a suspicion, though, that Harry wouldn't mind. In fact, he thought that his godson would heartily agree with the proposal that he had in mind – for many reasons – especially since it had been enthusiastically sanctioned by both Dumbledore and McGonagall.

He soon realized that both sides of that discussion would have to wait, however. That was because as soon as Hermione and Sirius had finished the breakfast that Dobby had brought to them, they were descended upon by a horde of well-wishers that had only been kept at bay this long by Madame Pomfrey's insistence that Hermione had almost died, and as such, needed her rest. The matron graciously allowed them to keep the privacy curtain up and even supplied her own silencing charm when the reunion became a little too boisterous to be appropriate for the infirmary – especially since they still needed to keep Sirius's presence a secret, as well. She did peek in once, though, to make sure that everyone was behaving themselves. She couldn't help but smile to see Mister Potter sitting next to the girl on her bed and tightly holding one of her hands – while Sirius watched indulgently from the bedside chair. _Hmm…_ she thought. _Is that the way the wind is blowing now?_ She then looked over at Mister Weasley, who was sitting at the foot of the bed and engaged in messily devouring some Chocolate Frogs that Hermione had politely declined – all while pointing out the various marks that the brains from the DoM had left on his arms. _Oh yes, Potter is definitely the better choice,_ she thought as she continued to survey the group. Misses Weasley and Lovegood, as well as Mr. Longbottom, were also visiting and sat side-by-side on the other bed that Sirius had slept in. The matron left, however, when all seven of them started to engage in speculation about the latest articles that had appeared in the _Prophet_ about the return of Voldemort. She had read those same articles with much disgust, and had no wish to relive them.

Eventually, the visitors left to go to lunch and Sirius quietly asked Harry to meet up with him afterwards in the Room of Requirement so that they could discuss something in private that might take a while. Harry agreed, a bit confused, but realized that Sirius must not want Hermione to know about whatever it was that he needed to discuss. Thinking about the huge secret that he was also carrying, Harry nodded his understanding. He didn't want to worry Hermione about that either – at least not until she was better – and maybe not even then. However, he could and would tell Sirius, he thought with relief. Perhaps he would be able to shine some light on the subject for him. Plus, Sirius was technically his legal guardian and it was only right for him to know that his godson was a marked man. In fact, there were probably quite a few things that he should tell him now that he had been holding back all year.

* * *

Sirius shared a light lunch with Hermione simply because the little witch seemed to eat more when she had company. He knew that she needed to eat to regain her strength from the blood loss that she had sustained because blood replenishing potions could only do so much. Therefore, he stayed with her and cracked little jokes to make her giggle, but was careful not to make her laugh too hard and, therefore, undo all of Madame Pomfrey's hard work to heal her wounds. Afterwards, he told her where he was going as he went to don the invisibility cloak. Not surprisingly, she argued with him about the possibility of getting caught – especially by the Slytherins who might be roaming the halls, as well...and what if he was intercepted by Professor Snape? That certainly wasn't a pleasant thought. However, she then amazed him by coming up with a brilliant idea once again. She called for Dobby – who after thanking Hermione again for all of his lovely knitted hats - was more than willing to take Sirius to the Room of Requirement, especially since the man planned to meet Dobby's much loved Harry Potter there. Sirius just looked at her in astonishment at the suggestion. He had never really thought about the house elves' ability to apparate within the walls of Hogwarts when nobody else could. He told the young witch as much.

"Really," Hermione muttered while shaking her head disgustedly. "Has _anybody_ besides me read _Hogwarts: A History_?"

"I think Moony did once," Sirius replied with that carefree, younger looking smile again. "But I don't listen to him either!" With those words, he allowed the little house elf to place his long arm around him. Just as they were about to disappear, Sirius called out, "I'll see you for dinner, Little Lioness!"

Hermione just shook her head affectionately and reached for the books on the side table that Harry and Ginny had brought for her. Just then, she realized that she had not thought about her own predicament once since discussing it with Sirius. Somehow, just telling him about her parents relieved her mind enough that she was able to put all of her fear and uncertainty aside while she slept, ate, and socialized with her friends today. He certainly had that big brother quality about him that made him easy to talk to, she thought. _Big brother_ , she thought. _Yes, that is exactly how I feel about him. He feels like an exasperating, but hilarious and…yes, even loving…big brother._ She felt a surge of affection for him just then and decided to ask his opinion as soon as he returned on what she should do since there were only two days of term left. Then relieved at that thought, she read for a little while until her exhaustion caught back up with her. Then she fell asleep with the book on her chest and a little smile on her face, as well.


	4. Plans & Realizations

Sirius and Harry spent several hours in the RoR discussing the events of the past year and their plans for the future. Sirius was both shocked and furious when his godson told him about what had been happening at the school all year – especially when he found out about Umbridge's use of the blood quill (from which Harry still carried scars) and her admission about sending the Dementors after the boy. Sirius would have hunted down the woman and torn her apart as Padfoot if she had still been in the castle. However, apparently after Dumbledore retrieved her from the centaurs, she had been treated by Madame Pomfrey in her chambers for exposure and exhaustion, but had left the castle in secret before breakfast the next morning. Therefore, Sirius determined that he would bring the matter up to Kingsley at the next Order meeting and see if the MLE could handle it. Harry gave a sigh of relief at this decision and was glad that he had finally told his godfather.

He also considered telling him about the prophecy as well, but then Sirius told him about Hermione's situation, and that drove his own personal worry right out of his mind for the time being. In fact, Harry had again been devastated with guilt when he learned about what Hermione had been going through with her parents. He had been so wrapped up in his own problems and little obsessions all year that he had not noticed how much she had been hurting. Then, to top it off, he went and almost got her killed, as well!

Therefore, when Sirius told him about his plan to magically adopt Hermione as his sister, Harry's first thought was to offer to do it himself. Then he could share all of the galleons in his vault with her as a small way to start making amends to her. That way, she could pay for school and even buy as many books as she wanted. Then, next year, when he came of age, maybe they could buy a little house together - so that neither of them would ever be without a home or a family again. He lost himself to the dream of making a home with his best friend for a minute until he heard his godfather clear his throat in amusement in order to regain his attention. He soon realized, however, that adopting Hermione might not be such a great idea when Sirius gave him a both a knowing look and a bit of advice.

"You might want to rethink that, Harry. People, whether magical or muggle, tend to think poorly of those who date their own sisters."

Harry immediately started in surprise and then flushed with embarrassment at this statement. "But…we aren't…she doesn't…I haven't…" he stammered out. Then he paused, clearly thinking about something that he had never allowed himself to seriously consider before. He had wasted so much of the last two years focusing on Cho, that he had not seriously considered anyone else – especially not his best friend…with her lively hair that was determined to escape from any restraint in which she put it and that she would often blow impatiently out of her face - with her full lips that were always just a little bit shiny because of the cherry lip balm that she liked. Then there were her eyes – deep, intelligent, brown eyes that sparkled when she laughed or quickly filled with tears when she noticed a hurt or an injustice. Eyes that were often turned to him - whether she was helping him with his homework, cheering him on in Quidditch, lending an ear when he talked about his problems (even with other girls), or when she was actively engaged in saving his arse in some manner. As he thought about all of this, he realized with some surprise the maybe he had subconsciously noticed Hermione in _that_ way, after all! A sudden smile brightened his face, but it quickly turned into a frown when he thought about the third member of their little group. "What about…Ron?" he asked slowly. "He wouldn't be very happy about it if Hermione and I…were…well…together."

"Relax, Pup!" Sirius said with a little laugh. "You don't have to make a decision about that right this minute. I just wanted to give you a little something to think about…something to consider for the future when we get all the rest of this mess straightened out. If someone else doesn't realize how amazing that girl is and snatch her up before then, that is." Here Sirius paused and gave Harry another meaningful look before continuing. "As for Ron…well, this morning he seemed more likely to want to date those chocolate frogs of his rather than to treasure our little lioness in the way that she deserves, didn't he?"

As much as Harry wanted to argue with that statement, he had to concede that it was true. He knew that Ron cared about Hermione in his own way, but he wasn't very good about showing it since his own wants and needs always had to come before hers. He also often spoke without thinking and therefore sometimes said very hurtful things to their best friend - who was usually only trying to help. He had also often shown jealousy when she was with someone else, like Viktor, even though he didn't really want to date her himself. Harry suddenly realized that he felt very uneasy about the thought of Ron and Hermione together – especially since he was just beginning to realize just how great of a friend she had always been to them – and that neither one of them had been that good of a friend in return. Suddenly he realized that he might have more than just friendly feelings towards her - especially now that he…um…they…had almost lost her. Then Harry realized that he was still in danger of losing her…if her parents had their way.

"Do it!" he therefore exclaimed desperately. "I'm glad that McGonagall and Dumbledore thought that it is a good idea, but even if they didn't, I would still want for you to do it anyway. Hermione deserves it. Are you sure, though, that the Goblins at Gringotts will honor it? You are still a wanted man…until we can get your name cleared, that is."

"Prongslet, my dear boy, something that Binns apparently didn't teach you or maybe you slept through that particular lecture while Hermione took notes for you," here he paused to wink at the suddenly embarrassed (again!) boy before continuing, "is that the Goblins aren't subject to Wizarding Law. That's something that those at the Ministry are prone to forgetting, as well. The goblins are a nation unto themselves - with their own set of laws – even though they do pretend to go along with the whims of wizardkind, simply for sake of convenience. However, they control the flow of money and, therefore, possess one of the greatest powers of all. That's why you never want to get on their bad side. Fortunately, for me, I have never committed a crime against goblinkind, nor have I ever been _convicted_ of a crime in the wizarding world. Therefore, I still have access to my accounts…and to the Black family vaults, as well – since I am now the direct heir of that bloodline. Remember, that's why I was able to order the Firebolt for you a couple of years ago – even though I had just recently escaped from Azkaban." Then he paused for a moment and pulled up a devious smile before continuing. "By the way, that was something else that the brilliant little Miss Granger was right about as well, as I recall. You know, Pup, I really can't wait for that girl to join our family…in one way or the other!" Then Sirius waggled his eyebrows suggestively and had to laugh at the flush that automatically crept up his godson's neck at his words. That really told him all he needed to know about that situation! He had planted the seed that made the young man finally look at what had always been there in front of him. That was all he could do about that particular situation – at least for now! The rest was up to those two young people.

Therefore, he changed the topic and asked Harry why he had not used the mirror to contact him during all of these happenings. Harry just stared at him uncomprehendingly until his godfather explained about the two connected mirrors, one of which he had given to Harry during his visit to Grimmauld Place. The older man then just shook his head unbelievingly at his godson when Harry explained that he had forgotten about the gift and, therefore, never unwrapped it and that it was still in his trunk. He became excited about it though when he realized that he could use it while at the Dursleys to speak to Sirius and Hermione anytime he wanted – since, hopefully, they would be at Grimmauld Place together! After clearing that up, the two of them stayed and talked about their plans for a little while longer - until they were suddenly interrupted by a loud mewing sound in the direction of the door. Then, in just a moment, Crookshanks had joined them and was purring loudly and happily flexing his claws in Sirius's lap. "Well, aren't you a smart one to figure out, not only that we were in here, but how to get in here yourself?" the man asked rhetorically before continuing. "You are certainly one of a kind - just like your human," he said affectionately while stroking his feline friend. The two of them had become quite close since joining forces during Harry's third year in order to try and catch the rat also known as Peter Pettigrew. Plus, the cat had often kept Sirius, both in his human and dog forms, company during the past summer and Christmas holidays when the kids were off doing something else or when the man was up late at night dealing with the madness of insomnia - in addition to the slow burn of creeping insanity at being trapped in the nightmarish home of his childhood.

"I know that Ginny has been taking good care of him, but I bet that he is missing Hermione," Harry said, reaching over to scratch Crooks behind his ears. He then laughed when the cat seemed to mew in agreement.

"Well, let's take him to his Mistress, then!" Sirius exclaimed as he stood up, still holding the cat, while Harry called for Dobby. Then, in a whirl - much to the displeasure of the feline member of their group, they all apparated back to the infirmary together.


	5. A New Family

"You can't be serious!" Hermione said while gaping at the man, who was sitting next to her bed and holding her hand, after he told her about his plan. Then she looked over at her best friend, who just sat there on the bed with her, holding her other hand. He had a grin on his face and a sparkle in his green eyes that Hermione realized she hadn't seen in a long time. She found that she had to tear her eyes away from the rather beautiful sight in order to focus back on his godfather and his rather astonishing proposition.

"I'm always Sirius, love!" the man in question exclaimed with a smile at being able to sneak his favorite joke into the discussion. He was torn between excitement over their current conversation and concern about some of the other things that Harry had told him in the last few hours while the two of them had been sequestered in the Room of Requirement. However, he decided to push those negative thoughts into the back of his mind to deal with later once he returned back home…well to Grimmauld Place, anyway. Right now he wanted to focus on Hermione, whom he could see was having a hard time accepting what he had told her.

"But…" here her voice dropped to a whisper as she looked down at the purring cat in her lap for reassurance in her confusion. "You can't really want me to be your sister…I'm nothing special. If this is about…the situation…that I told you about yesterday, then…" here she paused again to glance furtively at Harry because she did not realize that he already knew. The look of sadness and guilt that suddenly infused his features, however, let her know that Sirius had already told him all about it. Before either one of them could say anything, though, the man spoke again.

"Stop right there, Hermione!" Sirius said fiercely. "You may think that the news about your predicament forced my hand, but the truth is that I have admired your brains and your spunky determination ever since I had the honor of meeting you for the first time that fateful night when you saved me from the Dementors. Then, after almost losing you in the Ministry, after you had saved my life – _again_ , I might add – it just made me realize how much you have come to mean to me. By asking you to be my sister, I am not just helping you, you know. I am also helping myself. I would like to secure your place in _my_ life. Neither one of us…" he started to say, but then he paused to correct himself as he reached over to clasp Harry's forearm momentarily with his free hand, as well. "I mean… none of us…need to ever be alone again." This last was said in a voice thick with emotion as he gazed affectionately at the two young people in front of him.

"Oh, Sirius," whispered Hermione with tears in her eyes. She squeezed Harry's hand affectionately before gently pulling hers away so that she could grab his godfather and pull him into her arms. "I would love to be your sister!" Harry found that he was a bit irrationally unhappy at the loss of her hand and the sight of her in Sirius's arms for just a moment - until he became distracted from these thoughts by the golden glow that appeared out of nowhere and completely encompassed his best friend and his godfather. It pulsed gently and took on the appearance of thick braided cords that swirled around them both – tying them together. Then the cords, and the light, disappeared just as quickly as they had appeared – leaving Hermione and Sirius holding hands and looking into each other's eyes with surprise.

"What was _that_?" Harry choked out next to them.

"It was a bond…I think …a magical bond," said Hermione slowly because she was clearly surprised by the event. The tears that she had been holding back earlier then spilled out in earnest as she looked back at his godfather. "You really meant it when you said that you wanted to be my brother, didn't you?"

"Of course, I did!" he exclaimed, pulling her close again, and murmuring into her lively hair. "I can't believe that you meant it that much, too! That was a _real_ bond – a _sibling_ bond. Our magic has accepted us as brother and sister. It would never have done that unless we were both _absolutely_ certain about what we wanted. Therefore, we are now a family! It's going to be you and me…and the Pup…now – for always! No matter what!" Then he reached out with a strong arm and pulled Harry into their hug – completely unashamed of the tears of joy that were now falling down his face, as well. After a moment, Crookshanks let out a yowl of protest at being caught in the middle of all of them – especially since he was still in Hermione's lap. The three broke apart, all grinning madly at each other – and at the cat who stared indignantly back at them all!

"Sorry, Crooks!" Hermione said soothingly as she stroked him in his favorite way – down his back and then up his fluffy tail. "I just got carried away with my new _brother,"_ here she paused to look at Sirius, who was still grinning. Then she looked at Harry, who was smiling at her gently, still wrapped up in the emotions of the moment that they all had just shared. "And my…" here she faltered, not knowing how to classify _him_. After all, they weren't brother and sister, too, were they? Harry caught on to her uncertainty and they both looked at Sirius for guidance. The older man's grin grew even wider as he answered their unspoken question.

"Don't worry, Pup! Kitten here is _my_ sister now. You are _my_ godson. The relationship between you two, however, is still whatever you crazy kids decide that you want it to be!"

"I'm…glad!" answered Harry, a bit shyly, since he was still trying to process these new thoughts about the girl that he had known for the last five years, but was just starting to see in a completely new way.

"Me, too!" she said, smiling broadly at him for a moment - before the color started to rise to her cheekbones. She needed time to process…whatever this was that she was feeling…but it was going to have to wait until later…and somehow she didn't think that books were going to be of any help at all this time! Therefore, she turned back to Sirius in order to change the subject for a while. "How did you know about the sibling bond? she asked, still a bit confused by everything. "I know how I feel about you, but…I'm guessing that you weren't planning for that to happen?"

"No, I wasn't expecting _that_ , Little Sister!" he said happily, giving her another quick hug. "At most, I was hoping for an adoption on paper – sealed with the family crest – that would hopefully convince the Goblins that I was _serious,"_ here he paused to wink at them before continuing, _"_ about accepting you into the family. However, things will be so much easier now. We have a magical sibling bond, Hermione. That means that you are _officially_ my sister now, whether you were born that way or not – or whether the rest of the world likes it or not! In fact, your name has probably already appeared as my next of kin in both the Ministry and Gringotts' records by now. Ancient magic has declared it, therefore nobody can dispute it! You can even legally take and use the Black name in the Wizarding world, if you want. I wouldn't recommend that, though. The name certainly doesn't mean anything to me – not right now, anyways. However, what's mine is now also yours – the name, the money, the house – everything!" Here he paused to wave away her protests before continuing, "and that is just the way I want it!" Then he stopped to think before answering the first question that she had asked. "As for the sibling bond, I recognized it for what it was because it was not the first time that I had ever seen one. You are not my first magical sibling, Kitten – even though you are my only one now." He paused as he looked up at Harry, the boy who looked so much like the man he had loved as his brother - so much so that their magic had also bonded them together.

Harry immediately understood. "It was my dad," he whispered.

"Yes!" Sirius agreed, his eyes distant – since they were focused on a memory in the past. "I was about your age and it was the night that I finally left that miserable place where I lived for good (or so I thought then). My mother had been…well…herself…and I barely made it to the floo in order to escape to the Potters'. James wasn't there, but your grandmother still fixed me up, gave me a room, and told me in no uncertain terms that I was home. Prongs came back later that night and told me the same thing and reassured me that I was his brother - no matter who had given birth to me. That was when we shared our bond, as well. It was your grandfather, Harry, who told us what it really meant the next morning. However, your dad had always been more of a brother to me than Reg ever had - so I wasn't really surprised." Then he changed the subject, and said with a twinkle in his eyes that could rival even Dumbledore's, "Now let's talk about this summer holiday! I know it's not much, Hermione, but Grimmauld Place is now your home too, as well as Harry's - if you two want it! Therefore, I am hoping that you will both help me fix it up into something that we can be proud of. At the very least, we need to make sure that the two of you will have your own private quarters this summer – even though I am sure that some of the Weasleys will be there eventually, as well!"

This was something that he was determined to do – despite their protests that they didn't need anything special. Therefore, he conjured some paper and a quill. Then together, they all made a rough map of Grimmauld Place. Harry and Hermione then decided that they could turn a set of bedrooms on the third floor into a suite for them with a shared sitting room and bathroom. It would be the perfect place for them to each have some privacy and also have a place to hang out together with their friends, as well.

Therefore, since Hermione was now out of danger and feeling better about…everything… Sirius decided to head back to Grimmauld Place after dinner in order to start the rearrangements. He was a dab hand at transfiguration, after all – even though he had previously had no desire to use this particular skill on that despised residence - until now. He had been in such a stupor over the past year that he had been content to let Molly handle the housekeeping arrangements however she liked whenever she was around. However, now he had his own family to care for and he was going to step up to the challenge! He had also decided that he was going to put his foot down with Dumbledore about Harry staying with the Dursleys – especially after what happened last summer. He understood about the blood wards, but just a quick visit should suffice to reset those! After that, he wanted to spend the entire summer with his new sister and his godson!

For dinner, they all shared a pleasant meal, full of plans and laughter, from the overloaded tray that a delighted Dobby had brought to them when they asked. Then, when Madame Pomfrey came around to check on her only patient, they shared the good news with her. The usually serious matron actually beamed happily at them and clapped her hands in delight when she heard about the sibling bond. She thought that it was a very fitting solution to most of their problems. Those three obviously needed each other!

Before leaving, Sirius made a few last minute arrangements about his little sister's care with both Madame Pomfrey and Dobby. He then reminded Harry to use the mirror when he found himself at Privet Drive in two days time. Sirius hoped by then that he would have a definite plan in place to collect his godson and bring him home to Grimmauld Place where he belonged. Speaking of home, he then turned to his little sister and informed her that he would be back to collect her by floo as soon as the term was over and the students had vacated the school – especially since Madame Pomfrey didn't think that the long train ride would be in Hermione's best interest since her wounds were still healing. Even though Hermione knew that she would miss hanging out with her friends during the trip, she breathed a sigh of relief knowing that this way she wouldn't have to worry about evading her parents if they were waiting for her at the station once the train arrived. One look at Sirius's new gentle smile made her realize that he had considered that benefit, as well. She then gave her new brother a grateful hug and a kiss on the cheek before he pulled his godson into a farewell hug, as well. Then the two of them watched as the man stepped into the green flames in the fireplace, whirled, and then disappeared.

Without him even having to ask, Madame Pomfrey offered the next bed to Harry that night so that Hermione would not have to be alone. The two young people happily stayed up late, talking and making plans about their new home and their future. They also both sneaked peeks at each other when they thought that they wouldn't be seen while they considered the new and exciting thoughts about how they each _really_ felt about their best friend. Both of them fell asleep that night, much happier than they had been in a long time.

The next morning, they told the two youngest Weasley siblings everything when they came to visit after breakfast. Hermione appreciated Ginny's gentle concern over her problems with her parents. However, Ron kept talking about how wicked cool it would be to have Sirius for a brother instead of being stuck with a git like Percy.


	6. The Summer Holidays

Thinking back, Harry realized that those summer holidays were the happiest that he had ever known up to that point. After only just a fortnight at the Dursleys, Dumbledore himself had shown up to collect him. After a short visit to recruit Horace Slughorn, he found himself back at Grimmauld Place being hugged happily by Hermione while Sirius looked on approvingly. A few other surprises awaited him, as well. First of all, he learned that Kreacher was now gone. Apparently when Hermione had moved in after the end of term, Kreacher had been so verbally abusive of the "Mudblood stain in the Noble House of Black" that Sirius had been furious enough to add his head to the house's already prevalent collection. Fortunately, his new sister had talked him out of it and they asked Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall for advice at the first Order meeting of the summer. What they all decided was for Kreacher to go to Hogwarts and help in the kitchens there – since he knew too many secrets to be freed or to be sent to the closest Black relative – Narcissa Malfoy.

Meanwhile, it was agreed that Dobby and Winky could come to Grimmauld Place if they chose to - since they were both technically free elves. Having seen the state that Winky had worked herself into after her separation from the Crouch family, Hermione had slowly come to understand house elves better. Therefore, she reluctantly asked the house elf to bond with her since it was obvious that the little house elf, unlike Dobby, needed more than just a knitted hat and a nice nest in the attic to be ecstatically happy. After the bonding, the joyous change in Winky was so immediate and positive that Hermione knew that she had done the right thing and had to concede that maybe she had not understood the whole situation very well, after all. Not only had Winky flourished, but by the time that Harry arrived just two weeks later, Grimmauld Place was barely recognizable! Winky had taken the lead, and Dobby was so excited that he was going to serve his favorite wizard (as well as his godfather and his knitting friend) that he was extremely willing to happily follow Winky's orders. Between the two of them and their powerful combined house elf magic, they removed all of the grisly and dangerous remainders of the Black family's fascination with Dark magic and even managed to do the impossible when they removed Walburga Black's portrait from the wall. Sirius then promptly burned it in the fireplace and experienced such a catharsis from the action that he just couldn't stop smiling for days afterwards.

Therefore, it was finally to a real _home_ that Harry returned that summer. Harry realized that, just like the Burrow, Grimmauld Place could now be warm, cozy, full of laughter… and even love. He had Sirius (who was much happier now that the house looked nothing like the place where he grew up - even though he was still technically stuck there for the time being), Remus (who now had a permanent room on the second floor- next to his oldest and best friend), and then there was…Hermione. As the summer wore on, the two of them became even closer than they had ever been. Harry had never really had the chance to hang out with _just_ her before, because even when Ron wasn't talking to one or the other of them, they were still surrounded by the other students. Therefore, he was quite amazed to realize just how much fun Hermione could be when she wasn't stressed out about school – or anything else! He was also a bit surprised when Hermione helped him to rediscover a love of reading when she introduced him to a series of adventure books where Quidditch players (who all reminded him of a cross between Viktor Krum and James Bond) solved dangerous international mysteries. Therefore, they spent many nights together lounging on the new thick rug in front of the library fire with books in their hands – while Sirius looked on with a strong sense of joyous pride at the cozy scene.

Harry, for his part, contributed to the friendship by spending a large part of the summer trying to help Hermione overcome her fear of flying. He often took her for flights in the small warded garden behind the house and he soon realized that he felt an entirely new kind of thrill than he usually did when riding his broom with her! This was especially true when Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed herself against his back as she held on to him tightly while her nervous breath tickled his neck and ear. Then, he started to teach her to be more comfortable and feel more in control of the situation by getting her to sit in front while he rested his hands on either side of her waist. When this happened, he couldn't help but to wonder, had his best friend always been this _curvy_? This was one of the thoughts on his mind the day her shirt had ridden up and he had inadvertently stroked the bare skin of her hip – causing them both to gasp in surprise…and maybe a little bit of pleasure, as well.

The two of them also spent a lot of time with both Sirius and Remus – sometimes separately and sometimes together. It wasn't unusual for Sirius and Harry to play chess while Remus and Hermione discussed books or for Sirius and Hermione to snark at each other just like they had always been siblings while Remus and Harry laughed at them. In fact, in spite of the increasing hostilities in the outside world, Sirius and Remus both seemed much more relaxed this summer than they had been during the previous one. Sirius was thrilled to be alive…again…and was extremely grateful for his little family – which he considered his three housemates to be. Remus was happy for the exact same reasons. Living with his best friend and the two teenagers had helped him to feel not only happier, but also younger and healthier than he had in years – and it showed. Others had started noticing as well and he was suddenly getting more…attention…from a certain quarter that he had never anticipated. At any rate, the four of them enjoyed each other's company immensely – especially since Sirius had given the younger two housemates permission to use magic. When Hermione pointed out that they were still underage, her new brother just shrugged and said that those kind of rules didn't really matter in a magical household – especially when one lived in an unplottable house. He just made them promise not to do it around Molly – who had always had a firm No Underage Magic rule – even though that was probably just to make sure that the Burrow remained standing in one piece. All of which seemed perfectly reasonable when you considered the size and temperament of her redheaded brood!

Harry and Hermione took all of this to heart and tried to be responsible when using magic. However, this resolve often proved difficult because they lived with two of the original Marauders – especially since the two older residents of Grimmauld Place delighted in ambushing the younger ones with surprise attacks and spontaneous duels. The bonus of these constant bombardments was that both Harry and Hermione learned many new hexes from Sirius and even more defensive spells from Remus. They also both became more alert, much quicker on their feet, and more confident in fighting situations. Since they had quite often found themselves in danger in the past, they all knew that this could only be good practice for them for the future!

* * *

Harry and Hermione also spent the first part of their holidays together fixing up their private suite. Sirius had carved out the rooms for them by transfiguring the configuration of the rooms on their floor, but left the design and style aspects up to the two of them. Therefore, they decided to model their common room after the one in the Gryffindor tower while they focused on their personal interests in their individual bedrooms. That meant large bookcases and cozy ledges for Crookshanks in Hermione's, and lots of display room for quidditch equipment and high perches for Hedwig in Harry's - as well as large comfortable beds in both rooms. For their common bathroom, they decided on a double vanity (just in case they needed to get ready at the same time since both of them were used to the muggle practice of brushing their teeth). They also decided that a private water closet area as well as a private shower area would be best in case they found themselves needing to use the room at the same time, but for different reasons. This last discussion caused a few blushes on both sides as they each imagined the other in the shower, but in the end they were able to decide that it was a good idea. For colors across the suite, they also agreed on the rich red and gold Gryffindor colors with splashes of each of their favorite colors (dark green for Harry and dark purple for Hermione) as accents. Once these decisions had been made, Hermione's wand made short work of the renovations. Transfiguration was one of her best subjects, after all! Even Harry realized that he was better at it than he thought when he helped Hermione rearrange the size and shape of the furniture in their common room in order to make everything much more comfortable.

They also created a little balcony area off of their common room for some cozy outdoor seating for them and various perches for their familiars. It overlooked the small garden and ended up being one of their favorite places. They spent many quiet evenings out there just talking or star gazing and basically just enjoying each other's company. During these quiet times, they both came to realize that even though they loved their mutual best friend, Ron was quite demanding. Without his constant presence coming between them in all sorts of small ways, they were able to focus on each other for once – and it made all the difference in the world to their burgeoning relationship. Sirius knew this as well, and that was the main reason that he suggested for the Weasleys to wait until Harry's birthday to join them for the rest of the summer. It was also why his grin was so wide when he came up to figure out what had happened to the "mini-marauders" after they didn't show up for dinner one night. He found them curled up together, sound asleep, on their small sofa on the balcony – apparently exhausted from their work renovating the other rooms on the third floor to prepare for the Weasleys' arrival in a week's time. Sirius just conjured a blanket to drop over the two of them and went back downstairs to tell his friend.

"Project Harmony is in full swing, Moony!" he gloated and clapped his hands excitedly in anticipation. Remus just rolled his eyes and continued to eat the delicious meal that the house elves had happily prepared for them. The full moon had just been two nights before and it always took a couple of days of good food and rest to get his full strength back. At any rate, he had heard Sirius's plans for his two young housemates many times already. Not that he didn't agree that Harry and Hermione would make a good couple - because they certainly would. With Harry's nerve and Hermione's brain, they would go far! However, he thought that they should be left to their own devices. He had been on the other side of a lot of matchmaking schemes lately and found that it was quite uncomfortable. At least, he thought with relief, Sirius was being a lot more subtle about the process this time around then he used to be when trying to get James and Lily together - back when they were all at Hogwarts. Of course, his dear friend probably remembered the hexes that Lily had sent his way in retaliation. Sirius was smart enough to know by now that his new little sister was more than capable of doing the same thing herself! In fact, she probably knew even nastier ones than Lily had!


	7. Happy Birthday, Harry!

The day of Harry's sixteenth birthday arrived and the Weasleys were due at Grimmauld Place for lunch. However, Hermione wanted to give Harry his gift first, away from prying eyes, because she knew that nobody else would understand – and she didn't want to embarrass her best friend.

Therefore, she decided to present him with his gift first thing in the morning. That way he could spend the rest of the day doing whatever he wanted – which was probably catching up on guy talk with Ron, she thought with a sigh. She tried not to be jealous about that since she realized that she would probably do the same thing with Ginny, as well. She just knew that she was going to miss all of the alone time that she had been spending with the Boy Who Lived To Leave His Dirty Socks Laying Around - as she had taken to calling him jokingly due to his habit of kicking off his socks and shoes in order to go barefoot on the thick rugs in their common room. Therefore, she decided to make the most of their morning and walked boldly into Harry's room determined to wake him up mischievously with a light tickling hex. However, she wasn't prepared for the sight of him sound asleep on his back, the bedclothes low over his hips, and his well-defined abs and bare chest (with just a dark smattering of hair across it) all on display before her. _When did Harry get so fit?_ she wondered with a sharp surprised intake of breath which apparently was just loud enough for him to hear. His eyes fluttered and then suddenly her warm brown ones were met with cool green ones.

"Hey…Hermione…" he muttered sleepily. "Is something wrong?" He shook himself to help the wake up process and sat up in bed after putting on his glasses.

"No…nothing," she replied, still a little breathless after her very pleasant visual surprise – something that she was sure that she would see again in her dreams tonight. She pulled herself together, though, in order to continue. "I just wanted to be the first to wish you a Happy Birthday!"

That rare gorgeous smile broke out across his face as he patted the spot next to him – not realizing the effect that he was having on his friend this morning. "Do I get a gift?" he asked cheekily, feeling so much more at ease with this girl than he ever had with anyone else.

That remark broke the spell for her and caused her to laugh – after all, this was the same ol' Harry – nothing had changed just because he had grown up and filled out a bit. Therefore, she plunked down next to him and laid her head on his shoulder for a moment before dropping a book shaped package into his lap. "I know that you just finished the last book in the International Quidditch Mysteries series, therefore, I got you something a little similar."

"Hermione Granger got me a book for my birthday – shocking!" Harry said, as he picked up the package and grinned at her.

"Hush it, you!" she said mock firmness, but she just couldn't hold back her smile. "Just open it up before I take it back!"

Harry then obediently pulled back the wrapping paper and a leather bound book fell out onto his lap. The first thing that he noticed was the moving snitch on the front cover that darted back and forth in a zigzag pattern before hovering briefly and then starting the process all over again. He then picked it up in order to read the title. " _The Scarred Seeker and the Secret of the Sorcerer's Snitch_ by Hermione Granger," he said aloud in an awed voice. He then looked up at his friend quickly with a look of wonder in his eyes. "You wrote me a book?" he asked with amazement. "When did you find time to do that?"

Hermione just shrugged and then admitted hesitantly, "Sometimes I…can't sleep. I think too much…about…everything. Writing seems to help…keep the bad dreams away."

Harry looked up at her sharply and felt quite a bit of guilt that he didn't know that she frequently had nightmares. However, they had been through a lot of scary stuff together over the years. Plus, she had her injuries and the problems with her parents to worry about. Therefore, he wasn't really surprised that she had trouble sleeping. However, he also knew that she didn't really want to talk about it, so he just resolved to keep a better eye on her in the future. He then put an arm around her and pulled her close while he noted how good she smelled and how…soft…parts of her felt pushed up against him. He gulped in embarrassment at this observation and the subsequent reaction that his body was having. He forced his attention back to the matter at hand. "Tell me about the book," he said, trying to distract himself from those kinds of thoughts.

"Well, I have had some fun with writing fanfiction in the last few years. It's a good escape from reality," she admitted, more than happy to change the subject. She pointed to the title of the book again – _The Scarred Seeker_. "However, this is my first novel length one and I wrote it to represent _you_ and some of the adventures that you have had! I based it on that series that you enjoyed so much – and I ran the quidditch facts past Sirius first to make sure that they were accurate. Therefore, I really hope that you like it!"

Harry just looked into her eyes again, completely overwhelmed at the amount of time and effort that she had put into his birthday gift. Once again he was aware of just how little he deserved her wonderful friendship – much less anything more - especially since he vaguely recalled that he and Ron had only got her some new quills and ink for her last birthday. _That would change this year_! he vowed to himself. He then thought about how much fun they had experienced over the summer so far. Then he thought about how caring she was, how pretty she was, and about how _near_ her face was – and he realized with a bit of shock that he really really _really_ liked Hermione. Then he stopped thinking altogether as he leaned towards her. After five years of being best friends and after six weeks of being housemates, Harry and Hermione finally shared their first kiss.

That first kiss turned into another one and then another. In fact, it was quite some time later before the two of them showed up to breakfast, still a bit disheveled, However, they were holding hands and smiling shyly at each other, both excited about this new aspect of their already close relationship. They flushed with embarrassment at Sirius's knowing look – especially when he laughed aloud and said, "Well, I can see that it has already been a Happy Birthday for you, Pup!" Then he hugged them both, pleased that his matchmaking had worked out so well!

* * *

When the Weasleys arrived a short time later, everyone was amazed at the difference in Grimmauld Place. Before it had been a den of decay and despair, but now it was obviously a happy home. Molly was especially impressed since she had loudly expressed her doubts about Sirius's intentions when she first heard about Hermione's adoption from Ron and Ginny. In fact, she had been so concerned that she had actually owled Professor McGonagall about it immediately. However, after learning about the poor girl's circumstances from Minerva, talking it over first with Arthur and then with Tonks (who had already visited them all at Grimmauld Place, but for a completely different reason), and now seeing for herself how happy and healthy everyone looked – she soon realized what a great opportunity it had been for all four of the residents of Grimmauld Place.

Her mother's eagle eyes (sharpened by years of dealing with Fred and George) also caught sight of Harry and Hermione holding hands under the table at lunch. She sighed while thinking about her two youngest children and what they might think about this development, but she knew that it could have been much worse! At this thought, her eyes flicked over at Bill and his…fiancée. At any rate, she knew that Ginny was currently hung up on this Dean boy, who had visited them a couple times this summer at the Burrow. He wasn't Harry, but he seemed like a nice young man and he got along well with the rest of the family. Then, Molly ran her eyes over her youngest son. Ron was currently engaged in eating as much of Winky's cooking as possible while also carrying on a mostly one-sided conversation about the Chudley Cannons' new Keeper. Molly then shook her head as she realized that as much as she loved him, she didn't blame Hermione for her choice – not one bit.

Ginny, who had also inherited her mother's keen eyesight when it came to things that were being hidden, pulled Hermione away from the group as soon as possible. Hermione's worry about Ginny's response to this new development was completely dissolved, however, when the younger girl squealed and gleefully demanded to know just how long she had been snogging Harry.

Ron caught on a lot slower than the women did. Therefore, at Sirius's suggestion, Harry took Ron out to the garden to fly while the girls were chatting. After a few passes and stunts, Ron seemed mellow enough to handle the news – so Harry told him. Even though he had no real interest in Hermione himself, he didn't really want her to be with Harry, either. Therefore, he ranted and raved for a little while until Harry told him that he completely understood if he didn't want to stay with them for the rest of the summer. However, Ron had been looking forward to getting out from under his mother's thumb at the Burrow, plus he had seen the comfortable room that he was going to have all to himself (since Fred and George were staying in their own flat above their shop), and he had already tasted Winky's cooking. Therefore, he knew that he wasn't going anywhere. In fact, he decided that the situation really wasn't that bad, after all. Maybe Harry could even distract Hermione from getting on their case so much about their schoolwork.

He put on a show of reluctance, though, before saying, "Alright, but no snogging in front of me!" It was his best mate's birthday, after all. Ron cheered up as he realized that this acceptance could be Harry's gift! As for Harry, even though this wasn't exactly the response that he had been hoping for, he thought back to how Ron had responded to the idea of Hermione and Viktor - and he realized that it could have gone a lot worse indeed.

* * *

Molly, Arthur, Bill, and Fleur only stayed one night. It was just long enough for Molly to reassure herself that the household (under Winky's iron thumb) was running well and that nobody was going to starve to death if she went back home. Feeling secure in the knowledge that they would be safe and well taken care of in the Order headquarters, she left her two youngest children with their friends.


	8. Revelations

The rest of the summer passed smoothly for the inhabitants of Grimmauld Place. Ron liked to sleep late, and Ginny liked to use that time for early morning flying in the garden, so Harry and Hermione had the alone time that they were afraid they would otherwise miss. Therefore, the mornings would usually find them curled up on one or the other of their beds or on their common room sofa busily engaged in a combination of earnest snogging, tentative touches, and quiet conversation. Their afternoons were often spent in housewide discussions, debates, games, duels, pranks, and anything else that the four teenagers and the two Marauders could think of. The evenings were usually quieter times with Sirius and Remus meeting with various Order members downstairs while the teenagers gathered in the upstairs common room.

This comfortable routine was broken only by the visit to Diagon Alley to purchase their school supplies. Bill had been kind enough to collect everyone's money from their Gringotts vaults beforehand. Hermione looked embarrassed as Bill handed her a full bag – especially when he leaned over to speak quietly to Sirius.

"No problems with your vault access – just as we suspected. In fact, Ripstorm sends his regards to you and your sister."

"Ah, yes, Ripstorm," Sirius replied with a small smile. "He's been the family's account manager for as long as I can remember. I haven't seen him since before Azkaban, of course, but he was always attentive and courteous to me. Plus, he earned my eternal respect when I once saw him slip up and pretend to stab my father in the back with his sword as he walked away from him. Of course, my dear old dad was a right bastard, so there was no telling what he had said to him first to make him that angry. At any rate, I look forward to introducing him to Hermione and Harry one day – two relatives of whom I have no need to be ashamed – and ironically, neither of whom are related by blood or birth." Just then he looked up to see the girl in question flush with embarrassment. He crossed over to hug her, understanding what the problem was. "What's mine is yours, Little Lioness, remember?" At her uneasy nod, he winked and said, "I'm even sharing all of the important parts of my godson with you!" He then laughed heartily as she blushed again, but for an entirely different reason this time.

Despite the resulting unpleasantness when they ran into the Malfoys at Madame Malkins (and then later in Knockturn Alley), the rest of the shopping trip went smoothly. They were thrilled to see Hagrid, who actually cried when Harry told him that Hermione was now his girlfriend.

"Our 'arry and our 'ermione – I jest couldna be 'appier!" the half-giant had murmured affectionately at them while he squeezed them in a big rough hug until they were both breathless.

Then they all visited Fred and George, who of course teased Harry and Hermione mercilessly about their new relationship, and then once away from their mother's eyes, offered them some of their new "adult" products to test – including Daydreams for Couples, Laughing Lotion for Lovers, and Tangled Touch Taffy. A blushing Hermione surreptitiously accepted some of the latter and considered how best to use the edible restraints as Fred winked at a very surprised and slightly embarrassed, but secretly quite pleased, Harry. Even though they had decided to take the physical side of their relationship slowly, it was still quite fun to experiment and figure out what each of them liked - hence the secret smile that he sent towards his girlfriend as he picked up a package of Kickstart Kisses. "It's always the quiet ones that you have to watch out for, Fred!" George later told his brother as they watched Harry and Hermione walk hand-in-hand out of the store.

* * *

His happy summer with Sirius and Hermione had lightened his heart, but the knowledge of the prophecy still sat heavy in the pit of Harry's stomach, and he knew that he had to share that secret before it wore him down. Therefore, before he returned to Hogwarts, Harry was determined to tell his godfather, his girlfriend, and his best friend about the secret that he had been carrying around with him for months. Plus, he had no idea how much time he had left before the events in the prophecy came to light. It could be years, but it could also only be days before it happened! The suspicious behavior of Malfoy, both in Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley, as well as the mysterious disappearances listed in the Prophet on a daily basis, and the hushed voices of the Order members during the meetings now all suggested that events in the wizarding world were getting much more serious. He didn't know how or when that it would end – or who would be the victor. Therefore, he had to let the people he cared about know what he knew – just in case. However, he just couldn't figure out how or when to tell them.

In the end, it was actually Hermione who forced his hand. During some of their early morning _alone time_ , the thin camisole top that she normally slept in was pushed up beneath her breasts, and he found himself gently tracing the long puckered scar that diagonally bisected her abdomen. She was fully healed except for occasional twinges of pain when she moved the wrong way, but that scar would be a constant reminder of the sacrifice that she had been willing to make for him – just so that he wouldn't be alone. She had been quite insecure about showing it to him at first, but to him it was a mark of her bravery, her friendship, and her…love. Even though they had not said the words yet, didn't mean that the feelings weren't there. Therefore, the very first time she allowed him to completely see it, he decided to relieve her worries that he wouldn't find her attractive because of it. He had kissed all the way down the length of it and had left them both in such a breathless state, that they actually had to part ways for a while before they did something for which they knew they were not yet ready. At any rate, on this particular morning, he traced the scar in such a melancholy way that Hermione instantly knew that something was amiss.

"Harry, what's wrong?" she asked gently as she looked up at him. Her lively hair was spread out around her on the pillow and her warm eyes gazed into his while she carded her fingers gently through his perpetually unruly hair. He felt so cared about by that beautiful woman in that moment, that he almost broke down then and there. He managed to hold it together long enough to tell her what Dumbledore had told him about the prophecy. Only then, did he let go and sob at the sheer _unfairness_ of it all. _Haven't I been through enough? Don't I deserve some peace and happiness?_ he thought as they lay together on the bed with Harry's head resting on Hermione's scar. She just held him with one arm and continued to stroke his hair with the other - until he was finished. In all of the years that he had known her, this wasn't the first time that he had ever cried in front of the witch. However, it was the first time that he had not been ashamed about it. He was that comfortable with her now. "You shouldn't have held that in so long," she chastised him gently. "I know you. You have been killing yourself with that secret when I could have helped you bear it this entire time." Harry then realized the truth of her words when it felt as if a weight had been lifted off of his chest. He felt so much better after sharing - especially when he noticed that he had completely soaked Hermione's thin camisole and that it was now almost completely see through. He realized that he may have been a marked man, but he was still a man! Therefore, he then grinned as he set out to…distract…himself for a while - with her enthusiastic participation, of course.

Much too soon, they heard Ron come into their common room and call loudly for them. They knew he wouldn't enter the bedroom since he said that he had almost been blinded last time, but he would stay out there grumbling loudly until they emerged. Therefore, Hermione kissed Harry gently, pulled her shirt down, and then nudged him off the bed with her foot. "Go tell Sirius," she said seriously and gave him a knowing look, "and I will tell Ron for you. Then we will join you downstairs for breakfast when Ginny comes in." Harry gave her such a look of gratitude that she just couldn't resist pulling him back for another kiss. "Go!" she demanded before things could escalate again. "Tell Ron I will be there in a minute. I think I need to change my top."

"By Merlin, yes, you do!" Harry practically growled at the thought of Ron, best friend or not, seeing Hermione's breasts – even through her shirt! She laughed at him and then pushed him out the door, shutting it firmly behind him.

* * *

Both Sirius and Remus were already at the kitchen table when Harry entered the room and told them that they needed to talk. When it was all said and done, both of the Marauders took the news of the prophecy much better than Harry had thought they would. They both listened calmly just like Hermione had. It was as if, after all of the times that Harry had already faced off against Voldemort, something like this was practically expected to happen. However, both of the men pledged their support and swore that they would do everything in their power to make sure that the teenagers would be ready for that day whenever it came - because as Sirius pointed out, "Wherever Harry goes to get into trouble, the other two will probably be there, as well!" Sirius was especially enthusiastic after he asked if there was anything in particular that they would like to learn. Therefore, Harry asked about something that he and Hermione had been discussing all summer.

"Would you teach us to become animagi?"

* * *

Just a few days later, the school trunks were packed. The familiars were placed in their travel carriers and cages. Cheeks were kissed. Hugs were given. Letter writing was promised. Then, before they knew it, the gang from Grimmauld Place found themselves aboard the Hogwarts Express with their friends, rushing towards Scotland and what promised to be a very interesting year.


	9. The Horcrux Hunt

One year later...

 _It was certainly no picnic in the park, but it could have been much worse. In fact, it really should have been much worse!_ thought Hermione fervently. Besides the fact that they were on the run while being hunted like animals, this time with her two favorite men was actually kind of…nice…in its own weird way. She had a feeling that it would have been much different, however, if Ron had come with them on the Horcrux hunt instead of Sirius. However, Sirius had suggested that it would look too suspicious if all three of the friends had gone missing at the same time. However, Harry couldn't stay behind because it was his mission and he was Voldemort's main target. Hermione couldn't stay either because she would have been in too much danger due to her blood status and the simple fact that it was now common knowledge that she was Harry's girlfriend.

Therefore, it had to be Ron. Ron would stay behind from the hunt and go back to Hogwarts at the start of term to help protect Ginny and Lavender (who had been his girlfriend for the past year), as well as the rest of their friends. His other job was to complain loudly to anyone who would listen that Harry was a backstabbing git who had deserted him in order to run off to diddle his girlfriend in comfortable safety somewhere other than Britain. Hopefully, that would throw the scent off for a while. To make this claim more believable, he also allowed Sirius to place a small selective memory charm on him - so that he wouldn't remember any of the details of their plans – just in case. Afterwards, all that he could tell anyone who asked was that his former friends had taken off after the wedding without even saying goodbye. Harry and Hermione felt guilty for leaving him behind, but everyone understood that it needed to be done.

Hermione was grateful for her adoptive brother's skill with memory charms because he had also helped to save her parents with them. Even though she was estranged from her mother and father, she knew that they would still be in danger from Voldemort and his followers. Therefore, at the beginning of the summer holidays, right before they went to collect Harry from the Dursleys, Sirius went with Hermione to _Obliviate_ William and Jean Granger and sent them to Australia with a new identity and a new set of memories. Even though it hurt for her to know that she would never be able to reconcile with her parents, at least she didn't have to worry that they would be hurt or killed because of her. Plus, she knew as Sirius held her as she cried afterwards, that she would always have a family with him and Harry.

* * *

Now, however, she was living in a tent in the Forest of Dean with her brother, her boyfriend, and often Dobby the house elf, as well. Winky had decided to stay at Grimmauld Place full-time, along with Crookshanks and Hedwig, in order to keep it ready for their return and also to protect it against any Death Eaters that might try to infiltrate it now that it was no longer truly secret-kept. House elf magic was a very strong and completely underestimated type of power. Therefore, they were confident in Winky's abilities to keep herself safe first and foremost – and their home, as well – if at all possible. Also, through her bond with Hermione, Winky always knew where the witch was if she needed her or one of the men in times of trouble…or if they needed her. For that reason, it was Dobby's suggestion that he bond himself to Harry in order to provide him with that same level of extra protection, as well. Dobby loved his freedom, but he loved his Harry Potter more. Plus, Dobby wanted his favorite wizard to live and beat the "very bad wizard." Therefore, Harry was forced to concede – even though he promised to give Dobby lots of new knitted socks as soon as all of this was over!

Consequently, even though they were still technically _camping_ , having a bonded house elf stay with them voluntarily meant that their large magical tent was always clean and cozy (even though it stilled smelled faintly of cats), that there was good cooked food to eat (especially with the fresh meat from Padfoot's hunting), and that their humble abode was protected with much stronger wards than Sirius, Harry, or Hermione could have erected either separately or together.

Speaking of _together_ , Hermione still blushed a little when she thought of the activities that went on in the silence-charmed private bedroom in the back of the tent that she and Harry shared – while Sirius and Dobby slept in the bunks in the front room of the tent. _That_ had all started back at the Burrow. Since she knew what they were about to set out to do, and was not sure about what would happen to either of them in the future, Hermione made arrangements for Ron to sleep elsewhere on the night of Harry's seventeenth birthday. She had then proceeded to surprise her boyfriend with what he still called "The Best Birthday Gift Ever!" - even though they had repeated the experience many times since then. During the wedding ceremony the next day, while Bill and Fleur were both saying "I Do," Harry finally whispered those three special little words to Hermione, who joyously returned the sentiment! Sirius, who was not-so-secretly thrilled for his Pup and Kitten, even liked to joke about the smile of pure happiness that Harry still held on his face – even as they ran away from the attack on the wedding reception later that same day!

* * *

Hermione reflected that even the Horcrux hunt was also going better than they expected it would. Since Dobby and Winky had been the ones to clear Grimmauld Place of all of the dark objects, they knew exactly where the Slytherin locket was located. They were able to give it to Sirius, who was grateful to finally find out exactly what had happened to his brother since Dobby had heard the story from Kreacher.

They had some long periods of inactivity and waiting, as well. To help fill in some of this less-than-exciting time, Sirius continued to guide them in the process of becoming animagi. They had started working on it over the last few days of the summer holidays the previous year and had continued throughout the rest of the school year – often receiving lessons from Sirius through the mirror – as well as the face-to-face sessions over the Christmas holidays. Hermione, always the best transfiguration student, had already achieved her first transformation. To Sirius's delight, he could honestly call her his Not-So-Little Lioness now! He was especially proud because he also knew that it would be a good form for hunting and fighting (something that Hermione found was much easier with the lion's psyche than it was with her own personality) and even for defense against Death Eaters - if it came to that. After all, lions were made to be killing machines. Plus, it was a good form in which to play with Padfoot – especially since it became really boring to sit in the tent all of the time. However, after about a month of watching his girlfriend and his godfather hunt and play together in their animal forms, Harry finally transformed himself. Sirius wasn't really surprised when Harry shook out his big tawny mane and let out a deafening roar as he playfully chased his lioness around the clearing. Sirius sighed and thought, not for the first time, how proud James and Lily would have been of their son...and of the girl that he had chosen to love. Then his mind drifted and he reminded himself to have a talk with the Big Cat about taking precautions during situations that might result in cubs. Accidental matings and pregnancies were not common in animagi forms, but they weren't exactly unheard of either!


	10. Aftermath

Almost four months after the final battle, Hermione laid in the arms of her fiancé as he slept soundly after their lovemaking. She smiled at the sounds of his gentle snores – especially since she was the one who had worn him out, after all. She was tired herself, but sleep continued to elude her for the moment. Therefore, she amused herself with her memories.

As they often did, her thoughts turned towards her brother and how different her life would have been if she had not jumped in front of Dolohov and Bellatrix's curses that night in the DoM. If Sirius had not been in their lives these last two years, she had a feeling that things would have turned out to be very different and much more difficult than they had!

She knew without a doubt that the Horcrux hunt would have been even more of a nightmare without him. After all, because of his connection to Regulus, he was the one who destroyed the Slytherin locket after Harry retrieved the Sword of Gryffindor from the lake. He was also the one who convinced Ripstorm, the Blacks' account manager at Gringotts, to search the Lestrange vault for a Horcrux. The goblins had remained neutral in the Wizarding Wars, but they were so deeply offended at the thought of being used to harbor an item of such dark magic that they agreed. Therefore, they found the Hufflepuff Cup and destroyed it themselves. Later, Sirius helped Harry to fight off Malfoy and his goons in order to allow her to focus on controlling the Fiendfyre in the Room of Requirement in order to destroy the Ravenclaw Diadem and not kill everyone else in the process.

Hermione was also grateful for her brother because she knew that without him, events could have turned out very differently when she and Harry were captured by the snatchers. It had happened while Sirius was out hunting as Padfoot. Once they had been taken to Malfoy Manor, Hermione had been separated from Harry and was made very aware of what Greyback and the others were planning to do to "Potter's Whore." However, Sirius thwarted their plans because he was able to determine exactly what happened as soon as he returned to the tent to find them missing and the ward alarms sounding. Therefore, he called in Winky and Dobby (who had gone back to Grimmauld Place for some additional supplies) to find Hermione and Harry through their bonds. Consequently, in just a very short time, the loyal house elves had helped them all escape to the safe house at Shell Cottage - along with the other prisoners in the cells. Sirius had also received some closure that day when he saw Peter Pettigrew die – literally by his own hand.

* * *

Sirius made a huge difference during the final battle, as well, which caused a wide domino ripple effect that even Hermione was not aware of until later. First, he saved his best friend, who had been dueling with a masked Death Eater, by knocking Remus out of the way right as the green killing curse was shot in his direction. The two of them then stunned the attacker, disarmed him, and bound him so that Remus could find Tonks. He was just in time because she had tripped and fallen, and was being approached by another masked Death Eater. There wasn't much left of that one afterwards, however, after the frantic blasting spell that Remus sent that way in order to protect his wife. Just a short while after that, Tonks was the one who saved Fred when she saw the wall collapsing around him. She was able to _Accio_ him out from under it - just in time. Therefore, when Hermione heard about this sequence of events, she shuddered to think about what would have happened to her three friends if Sirius had not been there in the first place!

Padfoot also made several appearances throughout the battle as well. In fact, it was the big black dog that distracted Greyback so that Ron could pull Lavender away to safety after she had been attacked. Once their friends were clear, the two lions finished off the evil werewolf for good. It was noted afterwards, that several other corpses of well-known Death Eaters with vicious reputations were later found on the battlefield with their throats ripped out – but without another mark on them anywhere.

Many people that day, from both sides, also watched in awe as Padfoot and the Lioness escorted Harry safely (one on each side of him with his hands resting lightly on their heads) to his final confrontation with Voldemort. They observed Harry hug first the large canine and then the massive feline (also kissing the latter on the nose) before turning away from them and walking resolutely towards his destiny. Then the two of them stood guard at the entrance of that isolated courtyard to insure that no Death Eaters could get near their master in order to offer aid or a means of escape. Even though they longed to help Harry, they knew that the prophecy had to be fulfilled – one way or the other. The entire battlefield stilled during this time while both sides seemed to collectively hold their breath. Finally, a large lion with a bloody muzzle emerged alone and sank tiredly to its knees in front of the lioness. Within the blink of an eye, the two felines were replaced by Harry and Hermione - who were wrapped in each other's embrace. A cheer went up from most of the crowd then as Sirius, back to his original form, as well, joyously shouted "It's all over!"

In the chaotic aftermath, while Sirius and the others stayed to round up the remaining Death Eaters and treat the wounded. Hermione called for Dobby to take the physically and emotionally exhausted Harry back to Grimmauld Place. There Winky fussed over both him and Hermione until their overtaxed bodies collapsed into a deep sleep in each other's arms. Upon awakening, Harry again sank down on his knees in front of his human lioness in order to propose to her! After her enthusiastic acceptance, he let her know that he had been waiting to do that until he was sure that they were going to survive. She validated the wisdom of that plan by instigating a quick, but thorough, celebration of their love. Afterwards, they both reluctantly acknowledged their duty and had Dobby take them back to Hogwarts to assist in any way that they could.

Afterwards, however, Hermione just couldn't shake the suspicion that their losses, as devastating as they were, would have been much worse if Sirius had not been there with them, if he had not helped destroy the Horcruxes, if he had not helped them become animagi, or if he had not saved Remus at the beginning of the battle. In fact, the list could go on and on and on…

* * *

Since she was still having difficulty going to sleep, Hermione's thoughts turned away from the final battle and towards their current situation. Now that most of the Castle had been magically rebuilt, classes had resumed. Due to their wide variety of circumstances, the Seventh Year NEWT students who were supposed to have graduated the previous year had been given the option to live off of campus and to floo in for classes - if they wished. Some of their friends had decided to stay in the Castle in order to reestablish some normalcy and predictable routine in their lives. Others decided to continue living in the dormitories in order to be close to their significant others. Neville and Dean fell into this category since they didn't want to be away from Luna and Ginny. Seamus also decided to stay on campus with them in order to make up for the year of lost time with Dean and also, Hermione suspected, to be near Hannah Abbott.

Ron and Lavender, however, were invited to move in with Bill and Fleur until they graduated – since their situations were now very similar and Bill was helping Lavender to cope with the aftereffects of Greyback's attack. Therefore, the floos were often very active between Shell Cottage and Grimmauld Place - especially since Harry and Hermione had decided to stay at their own home with Sirius and their favorite house elves. After their time on the run, they had no desire to pretend to be dutiful, rule-abiding students again who were worried about things like curfews. Consequently, living off-campus was the perfect solution for them. They were able to finish their education, as well as have dinner with Sirius every evening, and sleep in the same bed together every night.

This worked well for Sirius, too. He missed the constant presence of Remus since Moony, Tonks, and little Teddy had chosen to move in with Andromeda after Ted's death. However, both households still saw each other frequently – especially since Harry and Hermione had been made Teddy's godparents. Plus, a certain werewolf still had the company of a big black dog (and often one or two lions, as well) during the full moon.

Sirius was also still adjusting to his first real taste of absolute freedom in over sixteen years. He had _finally_ been cleared of all previous charges after Kingsley became Minister and had testified in front of the remainder of the Wizengamot for him along with many of those who had been held prisoner at Malfoy Manor, and those who had been present at the final battle. In fact, Sirius Orion Black was awarded an Order of Merlin for his services and sacrifices for the Wizarding World and he proudly accepted the honor along with his sister, Hermione Granger Black, and his godson, Harry James Potter.

Sirius didn't revert back to his old carefree bachelor habits, though - even if many people thought he would. Instead, he joined his werewolf friend as they accepted positions in the new Ministry in order to help rebuild the shattered wizarding world. He had also started quietly dating a cursebreaking colleague of Bill's. Hermione really liked Cecelia (who had graduated from Beaxbaton when Fleur was just a First Year) and highly approved of the match. She thought that Cecelia's passionate French spirit and love of adventure would help to bring Sirius back into the world from which he had hidden for so long.

Hermione was also pleased by this development because she didn't want to leave Sirius completely alone next year when she and Harry moved back permanently to Hogwarts to complete their apprenticeships. Before the beginning of term, Headmistress McGonagall had approached them both with offers. After complimenting them on their extremely impressive animagi forms, and having them fill out all of the necessary paperwork to properly register themselves _and_ Sirius, she proceeded to offer a Transfiguration apprenticeship to Hermione. Her duties as the new Headmistress meant that she would soon have to turn her classes over to someone else and she knew exactly whom she wanted that to be. The same was true for the DADA position. Who could be more qualified to teach that subject than Harry Potter? This was especially true since the curse on that particular position had been lifted with Tom Riddle's death. Fleur had agreed to fill that position temporarily – until Harry was ready to take over the classes completely. Hopefully, both Hermione and Harry would be ready to take over the lower level classes by the next school year and be ready to teach full-time the year after that. Therefore, McGonagall was eager to come to an agreement with the two extremely talented young people before someone else snatched them up.

She decided that she would allow them to go ahead and take their NEWTS in both of those areas immediately (since all it took was one look at both their animagus forms and their war experiences to see that they were probably _over_ -qualified in both areas – even though they were still students who had missed a whole year of their schooling). Anyway, testing out of those subjects would allow them to spend that allotted coursework time this year being co-assistant teachers and putting that experience towards their apprenticeship requirements. Well aware of the new ring that was now displayed on Hermione's finger, Headmistress McGonagall also offered the couple modified apprentice quarters (which turned out to be very similar to the set up that they had at Grimmauld Place). They would be sharing these quarters with Neville, however, because he had been offered the same opportunity for an apprenticeship in Herbology. Harry and Hermione had no problem with any of this, however, and after speaking with Sirius (whose opinion mattered very much to them both), they eagerly agreed to the terms. They also happily decided that they would get married the summer before they became full professors. Yes, they would still be young then. However, they were confident they had been through too much together to ever be willing to give up on their relationship!

* * *

Hermione was so deep in her memories of the past, her thoughts of the present, and her hopes for the future that she barely felt it when a tender kiss was placed on her temple. Then Harry murmured in her ear, "You need to get some sleep, Mione, love. You know that we have an early class in the morning."

Her heart swelled with love for the concerned man next to her and she knew that she really had her brother to thank for this wonderful relationship, as well. She knew that it was highly unlikely that she and Harry would ever have ended up together without those first six weeks alone at Grimmauld Place to really get to know each other better - along with Sirius's surprisingly quiet and subtle encouragement. It was amazing to her when she thought about how happy she was now – especially when she compared it to the misery in which she found herself two years ago.

Harry then pulled her closer. "I love you!" he mumbled sleepily.

"That makes all the difference," she responded warmly as she turned to cuddle up to him. Then her body relaxed completely as she finally gave in to the pull of a well-earned rest.


End file.
